Developing Employee Skills and Technology Roles

 
During the 2008-2009 school year there were a number of opportunities to develop professional skills relating to technology. Here is a summary of some of the activities that focused on introducing Edline, using technology to differentiate instruction (DI), or improving professional skills.

  1. •August 2008 - Norton Gusky, J.R. Deer, Doug Martin, and Scott Hand conducted a workshop for 30 inductees focusing on fair use and copyright, digital media, and use of video-taping for personal reflection.

  2. •August 2008 - all staff members were trained to use Edline system; teachers submitting grades trained in the use of Easy Grade Pro.

  3. • September 2008 - Edline training for elementary guidance counselors, librarians, school nurses, and support teachers (12 staff members)

  4. •October 2008 - Smart Board training for developing Interactive Lessons at Fairview (4 teachers)

  5. •October 2008 - Edline training for building secretaries (10 secretaries)

  6. •November 2008 - Smartboard training for O’Hara staff (4 teachers)

  7. •January 2009 - Apple provided its “Out of the Box” training for Classrooms of the Future teachers (27) at the high school. The training focused on using digital tools to infuse technology into core content instruction.

  8. • January 2009 - Smartboard, document camera, student response systems (Senteo) training for all professional staff at Fairview

  9. • January 2009 - Excel training for 12 staff members at Hartwood

  10. • February 2009 - Excel training for 12 staff members at Hartwood

  11. •February 2009 - Norton Gusky reviewed with Lisa Lang an updated job description for the computer maintenance contract.

  12. •March 2009 - DMS and High School provided a variety of activities focusing on successful strategies using technology to differentiate instruction for all professional staff members

  13. •March 2009 - Mimio training for all interested professional staff members at O’Hara

  14. •March 2009 - Training from Jana Baxter, AIU, for all Hartwood professional staff members on using rich digital resources from Discovery Education

  15. •April 2009 - OnHand Schools trains the district’s team of coordinators on the use of the online Curriculum Management system.

  16. •May 2009 - Training from Jana Baxter, AIU, for all Kerr professional staff members on using rich digital resources from Discovery Education.

  17. •May 2009 - Curriculum management training by Norton Gusky and OnHand Schools for administrators, elementary and secondary teachers.


Technology Skills Assessment

Each year the technology department assesses the level of expertise and the interest in professional development. Here is a summary of some of the findings:

  1. •Training Needs - For the past seven years there has been a consistent pattern. This year the survey included a new item - Creating Interactive Lessons. This item rose to the top of the list. Here are the other top choices: Using Technology to Differentiate Instruction (2); Integrating Digital Media into Classrooms Materials (3); . The choices align well with the plan for next year. At each level there will be a focus on using technology to differentiate instruction. The technology department will offer voluntary after-school sessions on using digital media.


Next Steps:

  1. • Develop a plan with appropriate instrument(s) to assess current technology levels for all professional staff members

  2. •Create a series of benchmarks for professional staff members aligned with the National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NET-T).